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St Petersburg – a brief overview

Moscow may have the power, but St Petersburg has always had the culture. This stately city, set beside the mighty Neva River, was where Peter the Great chose to found his imperial capital in 1703. The finest Italian architects were drafted in to construct a city of grand avenues and winding canals, lined with elegant townhouses and adorned with baroque flourishes.

This was where Russia’s tsars and tsarinas lived out their extravagant lives; they now pass the centuries in the royal tombs inside SS Peter & Paul Cathedral. Surrounding the city are the extravagant country houses of the imperial dynasty – a trip to Peterhof or Tsarskoe Selo is an essential part of any trip to St Petersburg.

Top 10 sights in St Petersburg

The Hermitage

Russia’s most famous art museum was never originally intended for public display. Created to house the private collection of Catherine the Great, the graceful Hermitage, set in the baroque Winter Palace, now displays some of Russia’s greatest treasures to the masses.

Russian Museum

Exploring eight centuries of Russian art, this grand museum sprawls across the buildings of the Mikhailovsky Palace. The collection spans everything from sacred icons to portraits of Peter the Great and work from the St Petersburg Academy of Arts.

Peter & Paul Fortress

St Petersburg’s maritime history comes alive in the fortress that guards the mouth of the Neva River. Inside the fortified walls are museums, bastions, military relics and the cathedral that houses the tombs of almost the entire Romanov dynasty.

St Isaac’s Cathedral

People are draw to St Petersburg’s most famous church by the view as much as the architecture. The public gallery atop the cathedral’s famous gilded dome offers panoramic views over the city and the River Neva. The shimmering mosaics inside the cathedral are almost as spectacular.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Built to enshrine the bones of St Petersburg’s patron saint, this graceful collection of churches and monastic buildings guards the cemeteries where Tchaikovsky and Dostoevsky were buried, alongside a roll call of Russian national heroes.

Mariinsky Theatre

Moscow has the Bolshoi, St Petersburg has the Mariinsky. This atmospheric opera house and theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, the Mariinsky Opera and the Mariinsky Orchestra; that’s a lot of culture in one spectacular space.

Nevsky prospekt

Nevsky prospekt 190000 St Petersburg Russia Show on map

St Petersburg’s main thoroughfare is so much more than just a road. This elegant boulevard is lined with graceful Russian baroque buildings, and studded with historic cafés, eateries and department stores. There’s even a towering cathedral – Our Lady of Kazan – inspired by St Peter’s in Rome.

Peterhof

Inspired by Versailles, the lavish palace at Peterhof is a glorious collection of gilded domes, painted stucco, fountains and statues. Peter the Great surrounded his grand summer house with elegant gardens and villas, looking out over the Gulf of Finland.

Tsarskoe Selo

The grandest stately home of them all, Tsarskoe Selo was created by Catherine the Great and the Empress Elizabeth over a period of 50 years. Nowhere else offers such a window onto the extravagant lives of the tsars.

Flight and accommodation

Country information

Country overview

Russia is at once breathtaking, baffling and stunningly beautiful. Monumental in every respect, it’s a land where untamed wilderness sits alongside bustling urban centres, and adventure lurks around every corner. From imperial splendour to icy Siberian tundra and from time-worn Soviet-era monuments to über-hip urban culture, Russia is a land of contradiction and superlatives.

For the first time in its history, Russia is now wide open for foreign visitors to experience, and exploration beyond Moscow and St Petersburg is well advised. The Golden Ring, a collection of ancient gems, transports the traveller back to a bygone age.

Geography

The Russian Federation covers almost twice the area of the USA, and reaches from the enclave of Kaliningrad in the west over the Urals and the vast Siberian plains to the Sea of Okhotsk in the east. The border between European Russia and Siberia (Asia) is formed by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River and the Manych Depression. All in all Russia has 16 international borders with countries including Finland, Lithuania, USA, Japan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and China.

European Russia extends from the North Polar Sea across the Central Russian Uplands to the Black Sea, the Northern Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. Siberia stretches from the West Siberian Plain across the Central Siberian Plateau to the Lena River and takes in the Sayan and Yablonovy ranges in the south.

East of Siberia stretches the Russian Far East, a region almost as big as Siberia itself, running to the Pacific coast and including the vast Chukotka and Kamchatka peninsulas.

Given the vast size of the country, Russia’s terrain is hugely variable. From the Siberian tundra to the mountains of the Urals, the beaches on the Black Sea coast, and the plains of western Russia, such variable geography means one can experience many different Russias.

General knowledge

Key facts

Population: 142500482

Population Density (per sq km): 8

Capital: Moscow.

Language

Russian is the official language, although there are over 100 other languages. English is widely spoken by younger people as well as some educated older people.

Flight and accommodation

Getting around

Public Transport

The most practical way to get around St Petersburg is actually on foot. The stations of the St Petersburg Metro (tel: (812) 301 9700; www.metro.spb.ru) are widely spaced, and reaching almost anywhere in the city will involve a walk, taxi ride or river boat trip. Metro tickets are sold in stations; save on multiple trips by purchasing a magnetic smart card. Buses, trams and marshrutka (shared minibuses) whizz between the suburbs and the centre, but routes can be confusing for non-Russian speakers; buy tickets from the conductor. To explore the centre at a more leisurely pace, take a boat cruise along the Neva River and the city canals.

Taxis

Official, licensed taxis are costly and fares must be negotiated with the driver. To avoid fare inflation, book a taxi over the phone; reputable companies include Petersburgskoye Taxi (tel: (812) 068) and Taxi 700000 (tel: (812) 700 0000). Unofficial taxis abound, but many drivers speak only Russian and fares are often elevated for tourists; as with official taxis, agree a fare with the driver before you set off. Locals generally do not tip.

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Nightlife in St Petersburg

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St Petersburg is one of Russia’s most dynamic, vibrant cities after dark, and there are nightspots to suit all tastes, from elegant palaces of culture to bombastic super-clubs, cool cocktail lounges and student-friendly pubs and microbreweries.

For your first taste of St Petersburg nightlife, head for Dumskaya ulitsa, where party people make the most of the city’s famous White Nights.

MiXup Bar

Voznesensky Ave 6 190000 St Petersburg Russian Federation Show on map

The sleek terrace bar at Alain Ducasse’s showpiece restaurant is an extremely sophisticated place to pull up a bar stool for cocktail hour.

Dom Byta

Razyezzhaya ulitsa 12 191002 St Petersburg Russia Show on map

Cool and retro, Dom Byta looks back to the glitz and glamour of the 1970s, attracting a smartly dressed crowd with expensive tastes.

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Restaurants in St Petersburg

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A deep wallet is a helpful asset when dining in St Petersburg. Grand restaurants serving imperial Russian cuisine and modern variations on the same theme offer the definitive St Petersburg dining experience.

For less expensive eating, look to small local restaurants, particularly those serving Georgian and Central Asian cuisine.

Flight and accommodation

Calendar of events

Maslenitsa

16 – 22 February 2015

The start of Russian Lent is celebrated with feast of blinis (pancakes) at homes and restaurants across the city. The name of this festival translates as Butter Week – like Mardi Gras, the focus is on using up perishable food before the Lent fast.

Musical Spring in St Petersburg

1 – 30 April 2015

Venue: Various venues.

Run by the Petersburg Composer’s Union, this international music festival celebrates the best of classical music, with performances at the two Philharmonic halls and other venues across the city.

Victory Day

9 May 2015

Venue: Piskarivskoye Memorial Cemetery.

This festival marks the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945. Amidst parades, and military band marches, crowds gather at Piskarivskoye Memorial Cemetery to pay tribute to the victims of the Nazi blockade.

Dyen Goroda (City Day)

27 May 2015

Venue: Throughout St Petersburg.

St Petersburg gives itself a big pat on the back each May, celebrating its official City Day with parades, historical displays, public concerts and a fireworks display. City Days have been celebrated since 1986 when the tradition was introduced by the then Secretary of the Moscow City Committee, Boris Yeltsin.

St Petersburg Beer Festival

1 – 30 June 2015

Venue: Throughout the city centre.

It remains to be seen if the reclassification of beer as ‘alcohol’ (it used to be regarded as a soft drink) will affect this enthusiastic celebration of Russian ale. The party kicks off with a parade down Nevsky prospekt and ends with a fireworks display, accompanied by lots of drinking at street bars, pubs and cafes.

Beliye Nochi (White Nights)

Experience the “White Nights” in St Petersburg, when the city sees itself illuminated by almost constant daylight. White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St Petersburg’s northerly geographical location – the sun never descends below the horizon and locals fill the streets 24 hours a day.

Festival-festivaley (Festival of Festivals)

Taking place in the last week of June as part of the city’s White Night celebrations, the Festival of Festivals is a non-competitive film festival that provides a platform for independent filmmakers from across the world. First held in 1993, the week-long festival now screens over 100 films and attracts about 40,000 visitors each year.

Dyen Voyenno Morskova Flota (Navy Day)

27 July 2015

Venue: The Naval Museum, Cruiser Aurora and the banks of the River Neva.

Befitting a great sea-faring city, St Petersburg celebrates Navy Day with gusto. Decorated warships gather along the River Neva and engage in mock battles, and fireworks fill the skies above the Naval Museum on Vasilyevsky Island. Navy Day usually takes place on the last Sunday in July.

All information subject to change. Please check the dates on the relevant event organizer’s website.

Climate and best time to visit St Petersburg

In Moscow, winter is just cold; in St Petersburg, winter is unbelievable. Nevertheless, those willing to endure temperatures that plummet to -20°C will see the city at its most magical and sublime. As spring gives way to summer, a different kind of magic takes over in St Petersburg; the White Nights of summer see around 22 hours of daylight, perfect for party people who only stop when the sun goes down. In spring, hotel prices tumble and the city is alive with bombastic national holiday parades, while the rainbow foliage of autumn adds an extra splash of colour to the extravagant palaces of the tsars.

Climate & best time to visit Russia

As you’d expect Russia’s climate is hugely dependent on where in the country you find yourself. With temperatures known to hit a tarmac-melting 37°C (99°F) in the cities and fall to -30°C (-22°F) and lower during the Siberian winter, there’s no point generalising about Russia’s weather except to say, be prepared. The most favourable temperatures are found along the Baltic coast, where many Muscovites decamp for balmy summer holidays, whilst the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi, also doubles as a beach resort, due to its tropical climate, earning it the epithet ‘Florida of Russia’. Minus the overly tanned pensioners of course.

While the notion of visiting a snow-blanketed Moscow or St Petersburg has a definite romance, most tourists prefer to come calling in the warm summer months of June, July and August. This means the “shoulder seasons” of April, May, September and October are good options for visitors keen to avoid the peak crowds – prices are generally lower from September to May, and tourist sites almost invariably less crowded. Spring is often characterised by slushy roads. And if your heart’s set on that winter wonderland? December’s the best bet. Seasonal climates apply elsewhere in Russia – Siberia can have devastatingly cold winters, while its summers are generally fairly pleasant, if a little rainy. The region of Russia near the Black Sea has mild winters, but again attracts a fair amount of rain.

Flight and accommodation

Phone calls & Internet

Telephone/Mobile Telephone

Dialing Code: +7

Telephone

When dialling the Russian Federation from abroad, the 0 of the area code must not be omitted. Most Moscow hotels have telephone booths with IDD. For long-distance calls within the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), dial 8 then wait for the dial tone before proceeding with the call. Collect calls, calls placed using credit cards and calls from direct dial telephones in hotels can be extremely expensive. International calls can be made from phones in the street and phonecards are available from many shops and kiosks in the street. For enquiries regarding Moscow private telephone numbers dial 09; for businesses, dial 927 0009.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. All major cities are covered by at least one operator. Handsets can be hired from some companies and local SIM cards are easily purchased for use within Russia if you have an unlocked handset.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available within most hotels in larger cities (although they may charge) and at internet cafes. Most connections will be either via dial up or broadband. Although Russia does not ostensibly censor the internet, there is an internet blacklist of sites which you will not be able to visit from inside Russia, which includes some independent news sites.

Flight and accommodation

Shopping in St Petersburg

Key Areas

Nevsky prospekt is the main shopping strip and it looks almost as glamorous today as it did when tsars and tsarinas used to promenade here in search of champagne, cigars and furs. The area around Vladimirsky prospekt in the east of the city is also a vibrant shopping hub. For modern brands and designer fashions, head to the malls in Smolny and Vostaniya.

Markets

For tasty Russian foodstuffs, including delicacies such as caviar and tvorog (cottage cheese) with apricots, browse the stalls at Kuznechny market (Kuznechny pereulok) and Maltsevsky market (Nekrasova ulitsa). Genuine bits of Soviet memorabilia can be found in the eclectic Udelnaya market (Vyborg Side) near Udelnaya Metro station, while matryoshka dolls are stock in trade at the souvenir market beside the Church on Spilled Blood.

Shopping Centres

St Petersburg’s most famous shopping centre was also one of the world’s first – construction of arcade-fronted Gostiny Dvor commenced in 1757. American-style shopping arrived in St Petersburg with the Sennaya (Yefimova ulitsa) mall near Sennaya ploshchad. Further west, Vladimirsky Passage and Galeria (Ligovsky prospekt) – St Petersburg’s largest mall – shimmer with international brands.

Flight and accommodation

Traveller etiquette

Social Conventions

It is customary to shake hands when greeting someone, though never across a threshold. Company or business gifts are well received; if you’re invited to someone’s home do bring a token gift, but avoid clearing your plate when eating; leaving some food is considered as a good sign.

Conservative wear is suitable for most places – women will need to cover shoulders and wear long skirts to enter an orthodox church – and the seasonal weather should always be borne in mind. Smoking and drinking is acceptable unless stated otherwise.

Russian society is still highly patriarchal and hierarchical; this may be reflected in chivalrous acts (men holding doors open for women for example) but it may also mean that women are taken less seriously, and engaging in ‘unfeminine’ behaviour may be interpreted wrongly, although being a visitor may get you some leeway.

Be careful with gestures – in Russia, giving the ‘thumbs up’ sign is an insult not an ‘OK’.

Photography

It is prohibited to take photographs of any military installation and/or establishments or sites of strategic importance. Failure to abide by this could result in police arrest.

Flight and accommodation

Health

Main emergency number: 112

Food & Drink

In general, Russia does not pose any serious health risks when it comes to food. Use common sense and caution when deciding what might be safe to eat. Tap water is drinkable, although those with sensitive stomachs may want to stick to bottled water. Similarly, some may want to make sure that water used for brushing teeth or making ice has been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Be mindful that eating salads may have vegetables washed in tap water; you may want to stick to well-cooked meals for the duration of your stay. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

Other Risks

Vaccinations are sometimes recommended for Japanese B encephalitis, meningococcal meningitis and tick-borne encephalitis.